Trouble Sleeping
by Soru-kun
Summary: A blistering heat wave has taken hold of Konoha as Naruto and Sasuke continue training to become stronger. In training, their bond continues to grow, but maybe things are getting a little too heated? Sasunaru, M for language, violence and sexual themes.
1. Takemypantsoffplz

**Trouble Sleeping**

**Chapter 1: Takemypantsoffplz**

"…accident three days ago. In other news, another heat wave is passing through Konoha this week and temperatures are expected to rise above 40 degrees Celsius. There is a weather warning in effect advising citizens to stay indoors…"

"Another heat wave? Guhh, I don't think I can stand this anymore…"

"We've already had three weeks of this crap. When will it end?" Kiba wiped a clammy moisture from his forehead before sipping his ice tea.

"I can't even remember the last time I felt rain on my skin. This sucks." The blonde rested his head on the edge of the bar and let out a languid sigh.

At that moment, the shock of a palm slapping his shoulder jolted him upright. He turned to the grinning brunette with an unsmiling expression.

"It's okay Naruto; it doesn't matter when it ends. All that's important is that it will end. Let's just pray we don't spontaneously combust before then."

"Guhhh…"

The night was humid and the air was thick. Naruto traipsed through Konoha, dragging his feet with each step. He could barely breathe, especially having just completed a sparring session with Lee. This, I might add, had lasted from lunch until about ten minutes prior to the start of the blondes' long trek home. He hadn't even stopped to eat dinner.

Feeling slightly dizzy, Naruto stumbled over to a nearby bench and held his stomach as he sat.

The sun was setting beyond the horizon, but its blaring heat still burned his tan complexion. He sighed and looked to the sky.

"Ughh, Why god whyyyy…" He pleaded, his eyes now closed.

"Because, I just don't like you."

He bolted into a defensive stance at the sound of the semi-familiar voice.

"God?!?" he looked left, right and straight upward. But there was no one.

"Behind you, dobe."

Naruto turned and dropped his hands to his sides, "Oh, it's just you. What do you want?"

"Nothing, I was just heading home when I saw you collapse on the bench. You alright?" The raven asked smirking.

"Don't patronize me Sasuke, we both know you could care less." He replied dryly, glaring.

"Oh, sorry for having a heart. You seem awfully cold tonight, heat not getting to you?" Sasuke flipped his hair casually and stepped out from behind the bench.

Naruto followed with his eyes cautiously, "What's with you teme? You usually don't speak more than two words to me on a normal day,"

"Hn,"

A long silence followed the utterance as Sasuke circled the blonde.

"See, that's more like it. Now that you're acting normally again, can I leave?"

"No."

Naruto, who had been motionless until now, crossed his arms and pouted, "Why not?" he said in irritation.

"Because, I'm bored and I want to fight someone. You are my only worthy opponent."

At that, Sasuke lunged at Naruto, who quickly reacted by grabbing Sasuke's extended fist, rolling backward. Using his right foot, he pushed the raven backwards over his head and into the air.

Sasuke rolled in the air and turned himself upright, landing on his feet while Naruto continued rolling into a standing position. Both stood defensively for a brief moment.

Naruto let out a heavy breath. Given that he was already so warn out, he figured this battle would require defensive combat on his part.

He was right.

Sasuke lunged at him again, a fist tightly clenched. Naruto countered by grabbing Sasuke's wrist and spinning out, his foot pushing off the ravens back, sending him to the ground. But Sasuke rolled out and spun to face Naruto.

"You're getting faster Naruto."

"You're getting slower." The blonde smirked.

"Hn,"

They both lunged, colliding with a clap of energy. Their fingers intertwined as they clutched the others palms. They glared into each others eyes, provoking each other to make a move.

They broke apart.

Naruto flipped backwards, grabbing a kunai from a sheath by his ankle in the air. When his feet hit the ground, the blade was already lodged in one of Sasuke's armguards.

Another back flip and Naruto had carefully evaded an uppercut. But Sasuke tripped him on his landing, sending him to his hands and knees. Rolling, he dodged a blow that shattered the concrete beneath him. Spinning, he pushed off the ground and flew through the air before skidding to a stop a few meters away from Sasuke.

Leaping high, Sasuke flew upward until his feet pressed against a nearby building. Pushing off, he gathered chakra in his palms and dove into Naruto.

"Got you!" Sasuke said triumphantly.

"Try again." A voice from behind startled him as the doppelganger he had pierced vanished.

Naruto landed on his back and wrapped his arm around his rivals' neck. They hit the floor and rolled around as Sasuke struggled. Naruto had his legs wrapped around the ravens' neck, limiting his mobility.

"Surrender teme!"

"Never."

"But I'm exhausted." Naruto whined.

"No. Fight me." Sasuke's words choked out.

"Come to my house and play Soul Calibur?"

Naruto squeezed harder.

After a moment, Sasuke tapped out. Naruto released his death grip.

The raven then inhaled deeply, relishing what little air there was to breathe.

The two boys lay together gasping, sweaty and sticky, for minutes. Pealing himself off of Naruto, Sasuke stood up and brushed himself off. He extended a hand for Naruto, but he wouldn't hear of it. Of his own effort, Naruto stood up and brushed himself off.

It wasn't two seconds before the blondes' knees gave way and he began to fall.

With quick reflexes, Sasuke caught him before his knees hit the floor.

"Whoa, are you alright?" He asked, with a surprisingly genuine tone.

Naruto could only manage a garbled groaning of sorts.

"No, okay let's get you inside."

And with that, Sasuke cradled the blonde bridal style and took off over the Konoha rooftops.

Naruto felt his back against a hard surface. A wall, or maybe a door.

He tried to open his eyes, but his head was throbbing and the light was too much. He was suddenly aware of his own paralysis. A rigid body was propping him against the wall. He felt something moving in his pocket.

"Fuck." The body muttered.

"Nnn…" Naruto opened his eyes again, and the world was spinning. He was in a familiar looking hallway.

He shut his eyes again to block the light. Suddenly, the movement felt like fingers, thin fingers, sliding up his inner thigh. The sudden movement evoked a moan and his grip on the body tightened.

"Ah! Sorry…" The movement stopped abruptly.

"Mm… Back pocket…"

"What!?" Sasuke's voice hitched.

"My keys…Back pocket…" Gathering some strength, Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and pulled himself up off the wall. He opened his eyes again to see the face of the body that held him. It was very flushed with a humiliated expression. Naruto smiled and rested his head on the ravens shoulder.

Sasuke's hand retreated from the front pocket and ventured to the back. This time, Naruto was careful not to gasp as Sasuke basically molested him.  
After a minute of fumbling, the door to Naruto's apartment swung open. Sasuke picked Naruto up again and took him to the couch. Gently, he rested the lifeless body on the soft blue cushions.

It was cooler in the apartment, but Naruto was still soaking in sweat.

Stupid idiot was wearing that ridiculous orange jumpsuit again. He was boiling. Sasuke palmed his forehead. He was definitely running a fever.

Sprinting, Sasuke stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a nearby dishtowel. He soaked it in cold water and booked it back to Naruto's side. Soothingly, he patted the blondes' forehead with the cold cloth.

"Nngh…My heeaaaddd…" Naruto mumbled.

Silently but quickly, Sasuke ran to the light switch and turned every light in the room off. Unplugging electronics where necessary. He pulled the curtains closed and carefully made his way back to the couch. With so much crap all over the floor, this apartment was a death wish in the dark.

"Sasukeee…" Naruto whined.

"Hn,"

"Why are you…being so nice?"

Sasuke stiffened, his expression of concern changing to that of annoyance.

"Because, baka, you're my teammate and I can't afford to lose you to heat stroke."

"Hmm…"

"Besides that, you're my rival. And if you die for some stupid reason I won't have anyone to fight when I'm bored."

"Plus, you're my excuse for escaping from Sakura and those other baka fangirls. Tch."

"Mmhmm…"

"And, well, just because I'm a heartless, ice cold bastard, doesn't mean I don't care about anyone…"

"Awww… Teme, you really care about me?"

"No! I mean… Shut up."

"Aawww… You're sho cute."

"I can kill you. Right now. Do you want me to? Say something. Anything. I swear to god."

"Help me."

"What?"

"I'm so hot and I don't want to wear this anymore. Help me." Naruto meekly fidgeted with the collar of his jacket.

"Ugh, stop moving." Sasuke kneeled over Naruto and pulled the zipper of his coat down. Lifting him off the couch slightly, he pulled the jacket off completely. Underneath, Sasuke could feel a fishnet material. "This too?"

"No. Leave it. Uhm…" Naruto continued fidgeting.

"What?"

"Well, C-can you… takemypantsoffplz."

"Can I what?"

"I hate you."

"What, why? What did I do now?"

"Guhh. I said. Can. You. Take. Off. My… You know…"

"Oh." Sasuke blushed a little at this but wasn't too shy.

First, he untied the laces of Naruto's shoes and removed them. Then, he reached for the button of the pants and fiddled for a moment before releasing it. Slowly, he pulled the zipper down and parted the opening. He slid his hands along the blondes' bare thighs and calves, making him shiver and squirm beneath the touch.

"S-sorry…" Sasuke stuttered out.

"S'okay." Naruto's voice was shaking slightly.

Sasuke pulled them off completely and rested them by the side of the couch.

The room was silent after that; the only audible noise was the sound of Naruto's shallow breathing. Sasuke was surprised by the weak state that Naruto was now in. He must have pushed himself way too hard training that day.

Sasuke stood and cautiously made his way to the kitchen. Feeling around a bit he located the sink and turned on the cold tap. Opening every cupboard, he fumbled around in search of a glass. Once found, he filled it with cold water and brought it back to the blonde.

"Sit up."

Naruto complied, and drank the entire glass in one gulp. Sasuke placed the empty glass on the floor.

"Better?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be alright. Think you can help me to the bedroom?"

"Here," Sasuke pulled Naruto off the couch slowly, "Can you walk?"

"Mmhmm," Naruto wobbled momentarily before steadying himself on Sasuke's shoulder.

The two stumbled about in the apartment until reaching the bedroom in the back. Naruto immediately collapsed on the bed with a sigh of relief.

Sasuke turned to head for the door but felt a hand grasp his arm.

"Huh?"

"Ne… Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay with me? Just tonight, please?"

Sasuke was puzzled by the request but wasn't about to start asking questions. It probably had something to do with a childish fear of the dark or something juvenile like that.

He turned for the door again but felt the grip on his wrist tighten.

"Where are you going?"

"To the couch. Duh."

"No. Take off your shoes and stay here." Naruto sounded determined.

Sasuke shrugged and complied, removing his shoes as Naruto slid over on the bed.

The raven climbed into the bed and lay facing the blonde. Unknowingly, they stared at each other in the pitch black for minutes. It wasn't long before their eyes grew heavy and they drifted into contented sleep.

Silence.

Water falls over thirty foot cliffs.

The sky was dark and murky. A dense fog blurred his surroundings.

Blinking and squinting, he stumbled forward. His hands ground into the jagged gravel below. Blood seeped from fresh wounds. He looked around, calling for help, his voice however muted. There were ruby red rivers sliding down his arms. He could see himself kneeling, battered and covered in blood.

He fell to the floor, his face colliding with a hard surface. Off in the distance, he could vaguely make out a city. It was Konoha.

People were screaming and fleeing. A sound of terror louder than earthquakes rang in his ears. It was deafening and horrible.

The rooftops had all been set aflame.

How could that have happened? Who would do such a horrible thing?

Naruto's eyes filled with hot liquid. He felt it scolding his skin as it poured down his cheeks.

He turned onto his back, unable to watch his home disintegrate.

Suddenly, a figure was standing over him. His flesh riddled and pierced with long thin needles. The dark form fell to his knees over Naruto, revealing his bloodied and disfigured face.

"Sa—Sasuke?" Naruto was mortified as the full weight of Sasukes' corpse landed on top of him.

Naruto's eyes were wide as his body shook, petrified with shock and repulsion at the events that had just taken place.

With nothing left to do, he simply shut his eyes and opened his lungs, screaming for all he was worth, feeling a dark energy within taking over his very being.

His eyes shot open again, the dark haze still clouding is vision. He blinked a few times, his breath heaving.

His vision cleared as his eyes adjusted to the morning light and serenely sleeping, no more than two inches away, was the corpse of his rival.

Alive.

Breathing.

Not a corpse.

Naruto sighed in relief. He pushed his hand against Sasuke's chest, checking to make sure his heart was still, you know, beating.

It was.

Naruto sighed again. Sure now that this wasn't a dream.

Blearily, Sasuke's eyes began to flutter, until they opened to see Naruto's anxious and tear filled eyes.

"Uhh… Hey… Hey! What's wrong?!" Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed with concern. Instinctively, he placed his hand on Naruto's cheek and wiped the wetness from his reddening cheeks.

Naruto tried to smile, "It's okay. I just had a bad dream. I'm okay. You're okay. Everything's fine… Thanks for being here."

"Hn,"

Naruto closed his eyes, "I just… need to make sure," Naruto shuffled closer to Sasuke, and pulled himself closer to Sasuke's chest, wrapping his arms around the raven.

Sasuke stiffened briefly, but relaxed into the embrace after a moment. He had never been this close with anyone before and wasn't entirely sure how to react. He settled to just hold Naruto back and gently stroke his back.

"Sasuke…"

"Yeah?"

"You know, this doesn't change anything. I'm still gonna kick your ass at Soul Calibur today."

"Hn,"

~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~


	2. Fuck off for a minute, Seriously

**Chapter 2: Fuck off for a minute, Seriously.**

The sky portrayed a glowing orange haze in the wake of the setting sun.

Red and yellow streaks of light were sewn over the horizon as another day leisurely faded into a calm humid night.

A wildly spinning shuriken cried as it soared past Naruto, grazing his cheek. Sprinting, he dashed left and right, dodging a hail of screaming blades. His enemy was swift, stealthy and silent.

Naruto felt the force of his enemies' chakra all around him and decided it would be best to split up.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" He said quietly under his breath, before disappearing in 10 different directions.

Leaping bounds, his enemies' clones were eliminated one by one, leaving one at the hilt of a towering cliff.

He heard the blistering laughter flutter down from above.

Multiple kunai ready in each hand, Naruto leapt, tearing up the rocky overhang, leaving dust in his wake. Flying past the precipice he spun in the air, releasing his blades on the enemy.

Countered, the kunai reflected off in all directions.

"So, you _finally_ found me?" The sinister voice mocked.

"You can't run forever, Sasuke!"

Said raven took off, Naruto quick in pursuit.

Explosive tags suddenly fell two tall willows. Sasuke's means to escape fruitless.

"Kuso…" He muttered to himself, looking left and right. There was no more running. He turned to face his enemy.

"Got you." Naruto approached with a swagger in his step.

"Now we get to the good stuff." Sasuke smirked.

The two collided, full force. They flew apart, and collided again.

Naruto guarded the attack and attempted a high roundhouse kicked.

Sasuke ducked, swiping at the blondes legs.

But Naruto leapt, spinning and kicking Sasuke hard in the chest. He rolled briefly before skidding on the ground to a stop. They dove at each other again, Sasuke sliding underneath Naruto before kicking upward.

Naruto flew high in the air, Sasuke following quickly behind. A flurry of kicks and punches ensued before Sasuke plowed Naruto into the ground, an immense cloud of dust and rock exploding beneath them.

When it settled, Naruto's wrists were pinned to the ground, a blade held in the ravens mouth was pressed to his jugular.

They both paused, breathing heavily. It was clear who had won this duel.

"Fuck…you…Sa…suke…" Naruto huffed out.

Releasing his grip, Sasuke sheathed his kunai, a triumphant smirk left in its place.

He remained seated comfortably on the blondes' abdomen. Looking down at the utterly defeated kitsune, he let a genuine smile grace his features when Naruto stretched and yawned. His nose scrunched up and he let out a low growl of sorts, reminding Sasuke of a kitten purring.

His smile dissipated as the blondes eyes pealed open. That thought had sent a chill through his body, as it wasn't the first of its kind. The entire notion of his rival being cute like a kitten scared the shit out of him.

Guess with that thought, remaining in this position probably wasn't a good idea.

Although, the blonde was awfully comfy. Not too bony or blubbery. Sasuke could get used to this.

"Hellloooooo?" The blondes' voice suddenly became audible.

"Huh, what?" Sasuke arrived back in reality.

"Can I stand now?"

"Oh, yeah. My bad."

"Dude, you were like totally spacing just now."

"No I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. And now your face is all red. Aww, were you thinking about something pervy?"

"No! Fuck you." Sasuke finally lifted himself off the blonde. Irritated and slightly embarrassed.

"That sounds kindof pervy to meeee." Naruto teased as he pulled himself from the ground.

Sasuke pushed him.

Naruto pushed him back.

They exchanged a challenging glare.

Sasuke held a piercing hateful gaze.

Naruto pouted. Not very menacingly either, I might add.

"Stop doing that!" Sasuke broke from the staring contest.

"Doing whaaat?" Naruto whined.

"THAT! That thing you keep doing! Stop it. Fuck." Sasuke turned back towards the village and began walking.

"What? What are you talking about?" Naruto pulled on Sasuke's sleeve.

Rigid, he turned, gritting his teeth, glaring daggers.

"Piss off, or die. Choose."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Sooorry. Didn't mean to offend you, your majesty." Naruto waved his hands defensively before bowing graciously.

"Tch," Sasuke turned towards the village again and stomped away in a huff.

"Jeez, someone had an extra smoked meat and bastard sandwhich at lunch today…" The kitsune muttered under his breath.

"What was that? I gave you a choice, remember? Don't make me cut you."

"Nothing, nothing, Oh magnificent one." Naruto bowed apologetically.

"Good, now. You lost, so feed me."

"Certainly, your honor."

"I swear to kami-sama, Naruto, one more and I _will_ castrate you."

"So you all understand the details and requirements for the successful completion of this mission."

"Hai! Sensai!" The three members of team 7 replied.

"Excellent. We leave tomorrow at dawn. Dismissed!"

And with that, Kakashi vanished, leaving a puff of grey smoke in his wake.

"So, Sasuke, now that the briefing is done, do you want to take me out for dinner?" And so the same white noise Sasuke heard every day floated in one ear and out the other.

"Naruto. Sparring. Now."

"Wha-?" But Naruto was already being dragged as far from Sakura as Sasuke could get them. She was inevitably left in a cloud of smoke; likely sulking at another of Sasukes' countless rejections.

Upon reaching their usual sparring grounds, Sasuke wasted no time getting started. Having pulled Naruto by the arm the entire way there, he threw his rival out and away from him and launched into a back flip, planting his feet on a nearby birch tree.

Naruto barely had the time to react but something had bothered him about their sudden departure from Sakura.

Sasuke darted from the tree, flying like an arrow to a target in between the blondes' eyes.

Naruto, with lightning fast reflexes, grabbed Sasukes' wrist and essentially broke his face on the ground beneath them. Wanting to get information from his foe, Naruto quickly leapt on top of the raven, pinning him to the ground with his weight.

"Sasuke, I don't understand."

"My face."

"Why do you constantly deny Sakura?!"

"My face."

"I mean, she's so pretty, and intelligent, and she wants you so _badly_!"

"My _face_,"

"I wish I was you, I'm so jealous!"

"I am going to kill you."

"Sasuke. Answer me. You're basically pwned right now okay. Sooo. I won't let go until you tell me."

"Fuck you."

"I will tickle you."

"FUCK YOU."

"TELL ME WHY YOU HATE HER"

Naruto, having pinned both Sasukes' hands with his right, lifted his left and wiggled his fingers in a dreadfully horrific threat.

"FINE, fine. I'll tell you. I don't hate Sakura."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so I _kindof_ hate Sakura."

"Why."

"Because I don't want to fucking sit around at some stupid restaurant or movie or something with her listening to her talk about flowers and shopping and rainbows. Fuck. I'd much rather use my time more constructively. i.e. by destroying you."

"She could spar with you too, you know. She could spar with both of us. In fact, it would be better for our team if we did."

"That's why we have training days with Kakashi-sensei. If she were training with us she'd be all weird and touchy."

"You and I are weird and touchy."

"But it's cool because you're not creepy."

"I'm comfortable with you because you're not clingy and psychotic. Understand?"

"I guess."

"Can I destroy you now?"

"No, I want to know more."

"I can't wait to murk your shit."

"Fuck off for a minute, Seriously. Is this some kind of gender discrimination thing?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Like, if I was a girl. You wouldn't spar with me because I'd probably be in love with you."

"Naruto, let's face it. If you were a girl and still acted the way you do towards me. I would fuck your brains out. Now, can I _please_ destroy you?"

Naruto, having suddenly succumbed to shock for some inexplicable reason, let his guard drop and released his grip on Sasuke.

Seeing this as an opportunity for attack, Sasuke rolled Naruto onto his back and wound his arm back in preparation for a deadly punch.

Somehow, Naruto managed to stop the punch with his palm, a resulting reverberation of energy sent Sasuke flying backwards.

Naruto jumped into a fighting stance, ready to oppose his rival.

Sasuke whipped a shuriken.

Naruto blocked using a kunai. He sprinted toward his foe. The kunai, charged with chakra was released.

Sasuke spun violently to the left, dodging and performing hand seals simultaneously.

"Katon! Goukakyu no Jutsu!"

In an attempt to dodge the massive rotating fireball, Naruto pounced into the air as high as possible, using a bunshin for an extra push. Positioning himself over Sasuke, he slowly fell to the ground creating a ball of twirling energy in the palm of his hand.

But he was too slow. When the smoke cleared from the newly formed crater, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a sound like the crack of thunder could be heard in very short distance.

Naruto, feeling blind, dashed in the direction of a nearby elderly oak tree. Hoping that Sasuke would waste his Chidori in the bark of the oak, Naruto ran straight up the trunk, dodging enormous branches on his way up.

But the crash of electricity and bark was not heard. Still feeling blind, he created a bunshin a few feet ahead to look behind him. The bunshin was struck with fear at the site of Sasuke bolting up the tree right behind them. Sadly, they would soon run out of trunk.

Naruto created a slew of bunshin in an attempt to slow Sasuke down. But he simply dodged them all. His speed was indescribable.

Naruto could see the end of the road ahead, maybe only three meters away. He needed to think quickly.

And then it hit him.

Not Chidori, I mean, a really good idea.

The top was now only mere feet away.

Sasuke was bound and determined to let this attack loose on Naruto, provided he was keeping it at a level that wouldn't kill him. It would definitely do some damage though.

"No! Sasukeeeee!!!" A loud familiar shriek broke his concentration completely.

What the fuck was Sakura doing here, trying to interrupt his execution of Naruto's death sentence.

And then it hit him.

And by that, I mean, Naruto's fist came crashing down on his cheek, full impact, sending him hurling to the ground, snapping every branch on the way to the bedrock below.

Realizing maybe that was a little too effective of a technique, Naruto raced to meet Sasukes' probably-corpse at the base of the giant oak.

Upon his arrival, he discovered the barely moving not-corpse of Sasuke.

"Henge no jutsu… Good--*cough*--…idea, Naruto…" Sasuke smiled up at Naruto's shattered expression.

"OH FUCK SASUKE. I'M SORRY," At the site of his best friend battered, bruised and coughing up blood by his own hand, Naruto instantly broke into silent tears. He threw his arms around his rival in a feeble attempt to apologize.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Steam, thick and toxic, poured from the floor to the ceiling.

The water fell like rain on Naruto's naked skin. He watched as the droplets formed and slid down his taught figure. The room was hazy and dark, but it felt nice to finally have a shower.

Naruto closed his eyes and leaned backward, Sasuke catching him in his slender arms.

"Mmm… Sasuke… I missed you."

"I know."

Slim porcelain fingers roamed over Naruto's toned abdomen, tracing circles around his belly button. The warmth of the touch was unexpected. It tickled slightly.

Naruto turned to face his rival, capturing him in a tender grasp of his own. He laid his head on the ravens' heart. The beating of it, rapid and loud in his ears, even over the sound of running water. He was overpowering, and made the kitsunes' knees weak.

He raked his fingernails down his rivals back, relishing in the gasps and shivers it invoked. He pulled away slightly to gaze fondly in the obsidian iris' of his only friend. The only sound audible now was his own heart, racing in circles, madly erratic and uncontrollable. His stomach twisted and fluttered as they drew their lips closer and closer.

He felt tears forming in his eyes having finally made it this far. They spilled quietly when their lips finally met.

"Naruto, I lov—"

"GAHH!" Naruto shot upright. His eyes wide open now.

"What the fuck!"

Realizing the closeness he had just felt was only a dream, Naruto calmly floated back into his pillow.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck," Naruto felt the confusion and anxiety push a razor from his stomach to his throat as the tears burned the backs of his eyes.

"FucknotagainfucknotagainfuckfuckfucknotagainfuckFUCKfuck…"

Feeling nothing but defeat, Naruto pulled a pillow over his face and screamed as loud and as long as he possibly could. After a minute of heavy uncontrolled breathing, he began to calm down. Slightly.

"Fuck."

~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~


	3. Only One

**Chapter 3: Only One**

"Itadakimasu,"

Naruto pressed his palms together and gave thanks in his unusually usual quiet tone. His conscious was plagued with gruesome, horrible and confusing images. This morning he had awoke to more dreams about Sasuke, which was becoming a typical occurrence as of late.

Spooning some cereal to his mouth, his expression was concentrated, his brows furrowed in bemusement. Internally, he couldn't stop from asking himself why.

Why?

Why these horrible murders? These burning buildings and screaming civilians?

This image of Sasuke dying before him turned his stomach.

But what was worse was the image of him… he couldn't even think it. It just felt so…

His face burned and his body tingled. He quickly shook the images, attempting to fight away the feeling of warmth that tickled his spine and sent shivers around his shoulders.

Fortunately, a knock at the door distracted him from thoughts of his rival.

Bringing his cereal with him, not wanting it to grow soggy, he strode to the door and twisted the knob, opening it.

The figure behind the door stiffened at the sight of Naruto, half naked, in the doorway.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-na-Naruto-kun… H-how are y-you?" Pale fingertips pressed together as Hinata shied her eyes away from Naruto's.

"Oh, Hi Hinata. I'm good. What brings you here?" Naruto motioned for her to come in.

She shook her head, "Uhm, I-I was going to be p-passing through wh-when I saw S-s-sasuke and Sakura… Uhm, they asked me to t-to stop by and t-tell you to h-hurry…"

"Oh. OH. OH FUCK, I'M LATE," Naruto's eyes widened, realizing that he was supposed to be meeting his team for the start of their mission in, he glanced at the wall clock, negative one hour and twenty-two minutes.

He quickly downed what was left of his cereal and ran to the bedroom, changing into his jumpsuit and grabbing a bag full of supplies he had packed the night prior.

Hinata, still standing in the entryway, leaned into the apartment, curious of the shuffling she heard coming from the bedroom. A minute later, Naruto came tearing through the flat to the door. Hinata quickly scurried out of the way as he locked it.

Turning to her, Naruto bowed his head, saying, "Thanks Hinata-chan, I'm already this late so, would you like to accompany me to the bridge?"

"S-sure." A curt reply.

They headed out of the building in silence. Once they reached the street, Hinata curiously, "S-so, I heard your m-mission was B-ranked, what exactly are y-you doing, N-naruto-kun?"

"Oh, well, I'm sure you heard about the accident a few days ago in Sunagakure?"

"Oh, mmhmm?"

"It wasn't an accident."

~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~

"My room is at the front of the hall, room 301, and Sakura, yours will be room 303. You may head there now and set your things down. I'm sure you must be exhausted."

"Hai, Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei."

"Now, you boys will be sharing room 304, next to Sakura's. Unfortunately for you, you're both male and Tsunade-sama figured it would be cheaper to room you both together. I'll walk you to the room."

After said boys exchanged a questioning look, they followed Kakashi through the less than distastefully decorated hallway of the motel they'd be living in for the duration of their mission.

"Well, here it is. You boys get your things put away and settle in for the night. You may venture into Suna if you wish, but keep in mind; we are having a final briefing tomorrow morning at ten o'clock before the start of our mission. Don't stay out partying all night."

And with that, Kakashi disappeared into his room down the hall.

Using the key that was given to them at the reception desk, Sasuke turned the lock and slowly pushed the door, emitting a low droning creak. They stepped into the small apartment, admiring what little amenities it offered.

The foyer was a simple hallway with four doors, two on each side. To the immediate right there was a small kitchen the size of a large walk-in closet. Against the far wall there was a cupboard door, likely a pantry for dry foods, which stretched from the floor to the roof, about 7 feet high and 3 feet across. Next to it against the right wall, there was a mini-fridge and a counter with a microwave. To the left, another small counter and a stove-top oven.

Opposite the kitchen, there was a bathroom with a sink, a toilet and bath tub. No shower.

"Wow, I bet this is quite a step down from the Uchiha manor, ne Sasuke?"

"More like a fall from the third floor to the basement."

Naruto giggled lightly, much too worn out for genuine laughter.

Venturing further into their quarters, the other two doors were closed, likely bedrooms. Naruto turned to the left door and pushed it open. Surprisingly, inside was a cozy living room. A loveseat with a hideous blue floral pattern was situated across from a motel sized television. Beside the comfy looking couch, there were petite oak end tables on either side, one with a sleek black table lamp. A tall floor lamp stood on the far side of the television.

"Hmm, I was expecting this to be my new bedroom. It's a living room though."

Naruto turned to Sasuke who suddenly stiffened in the doorway of what must be the bedroom.

The raven was silent.

"Sasuke?" Naruto moved to put the ravens' face in view. He had his eyes closed, his teeth visibly grinding together.

Naruto turned his view into the room, curious of what had caused this annoyed expression on his rivals' face.

The blondes' jaw dropped at the sight, nearly falling to the floor.

"Th-th…" He stuttered out, "Th-th-th…"

Sasuke was making an obvious attempt to control his breathing.

Naruto stood pointing at the bed.

"Th-th-th-th-th-th…" His body was visibly shaking, a sweat building on his forehead.

Sasuke breathed out calmly, before stating the cause of their distress,

"There is only one bed."

~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~

Naruto peered into his soup, poking wistfully at its contents. Normally, it would have vanished seconds after being placed under his nose but, his close-quarters situation at the motel was playing on his mind.

The double bed in the room shouldn't have been a problem.

He and Sasuke had slept together before, on one occasion.

But this mission was expected to last a while, weeks in fact. And with the dreams he'd been having about Sasuke lately, it could prove to be too much for him to handle. His attraction to his rival was baffling. There were no words to explain the thoughts that had frequently violated his psyche.

Sasuke was like a cancer, a disease that spread faster than fire in his veins. As the fire swept through, it made Naruto scared and uneasy. He couldn't make any sense of it. Sasuke was his friend and his rival. That much he knew.

But everything else was just…

Inexplicable.

Naruto let out a despondent sigh, pushing what was left of his ramen away. He dropped some cash on the bar and slid off the stool.

His hands slipped into his pockets as he made his way back to the motel, where Sasuke would likely be sleeping…

~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~

There was an irritating, high pitched dissonance floating about in the apartment.

Sasuke sat, unmoving, cross-legged, on the floor in the living room, his eyes lightly shut.

He was making a pathetic attempt of freeing his mind of contemplative thought. Meditating, as it were.

He was met with only failure.

Thoughts of Naruto and his pretty face, charming personality and delectable body were harassing him, trying his patience.

Sasuke damned himself for coming back. He could be far away right now. Off becoming stronger, honing his skills to perfection. He wouldn't have to battle with these…difficult thoughts.

Damn Naruto and his fucking caring. Fucking Naruto.

Fucking Naruto...

Hmmm… fucking Naruto.

NO. His eyes shot open.

None of that. Stop it Sasuke, this is not the time. Pretty soon you'll be sleeping with him.

NOT THAT KIND OF SLEEPING.

STFU.

He groaned at the mental anguish. Cursing himself for leaving Orochimaru. Sasuke was not meant to care about anyone. Or anything. Except the destruction of his brother. If he had only stayed strong and not caved to Naruto's crying eyes. He could be somewhere else, possibly driving a knife in Itachi's back.

Over and over and over again.

That's all he really wanted.

Vengeance.

But ohhhh no. Naruto had to come gallivanting about, making proclamations of friendships, and bonds and promises and blehther blehther blehhhhh…

And since turning his back on true power, his bonds had only been growing stronger and trenchant. Ever move he made so far had been leading up to this. This would be a true test of his strength.

Can he possibly sleep with no more than two inches between he and his rival without molesting him in despicably delicious ways?

Sasuke groaned and fell backward, lying against the floor.

"It's okay Sasuke, you can do it." He vocalized.

"Do what?" Naruto's voice dipped into Sasuke's conscious again.

"Do you."

"NANI?!?"

Sasuke's eyes opened swiftly, the voice sounding too real to only be in his head.

Naruto stood glaring above him.

"Do you… Doyouhaveanmp3playerwithyou?" Sasuke flew off the ground with his face now out of Naruto's sight, attempting to hide his undoubtedly blushing cheeks. Luckily, he was quick with words.

"O-oh..." Naruto was blushing slightly too, "I thought you meant… uh… yeah, yeah I have one. Did you want to listen?"

Regaining his composure, Sasuke turned back to Naruto, "No, not right now. I just wanted to know in case uhh, I can't sleep and need something to do. I left mine in Konoha."

"Oh, okay, sure. I'll leave it on the night table by the bed."

"Great, well then. It's getting late so. I should think we should, you know, sleep."

"Are you alright Sasuke? You seem kind of jittery or something." Naruto skeptically examined the ravens' nervous expression.

Sasuke put his hands up and looked away, "No, I'm fine. Really. Let's just, sleep. Sleeping is good. Yeah? Okay."

And with that, Sasuke quickly scurried into the bedroom. Naruto following behind hesitantly.

Turned away from the blondes' eyes, Sasuke pulled his shirt over his head.

Naruto inadvertently squeaked at the action.

In an attempt to hide his embarrassment he turned from the entrance saying, "Ihavetogotothebathroombrb."

Sasuke swiveled, facing the now empty doorway and shrugged.

He continued changing and slipped into a pair of ruby red silk pants, which carried a black, tribal stitching from the ankle to the knee on one leg. Very high-end brand. Very expensive. Very sexy.

However, completely unintentional. They just happened to be bottoms to his most comfortable and favourite pajama ensemble. There was a matching housecoat that he usually wore when lazing around in the morning. It had the same tribal design on the pockets.

Lifting the blankets, he slid onto the little bed. His head hit the pillow, a nervousness causing the acid in his stomach to boil. Before he could allow any disturbing thoughts enter his mind, he opted to pass the fuck out, ASAP.

He closed his eyes tightly.

Fall asleep.

Fall asleep.

Fall asleep.

Fuck Sasuke, fall asleep.

At that moment, Naruto stepped into the room. Sasuke softened his expression, attempting to look asleep.

The blonde went to his bag by his side of the bed and removed his mp3 player, setting it on the night table, as promised. He began sifting through his bag.

Removing items one by one, Naruto placed them next to the bag. He was anxious. Praying.

At home, he slept, well, as nature had intended.

In the buff.

He continued sifting, praying he had brought something he could substitute for pajamas. But as he continued emptying, his luck just grew worse and worse.

There was a pile of weapons, scrolls, day clothes, toiletries, cup ramen, and manga books growing larger and larger beside him. His expression grew more and more frantic.

"Fuck," he quietly cursed upon reaching the bottom of the bag.

Looks like his boxer-briefs would have to do.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had been peaking periodically over at the blonde, who was now standing up, sighing dismally.

The kitsune turned away from Sasuke and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it casually on the floor with his other belongings.

There was an audible click and a jingling as he unbuckled his belt and slid his pants to the floor, revealing what had to be the most alluring pair of briefs that Sasuke had ever seen. They had thin horizontal stripes; black, white and violet. The material looked extremely grope-able, and hugged the blondes' behind in all the right places.

As Naruto turned, Sasuke caught a glimpse of the front before closing his eyes.

They hugged Naruto in _all_ the right places.

Crawling into the bed hurriedly, Naruto faced away from his rival. His face already burning.

The two lay together, unmoving.

The minutes ticked away, feeling like hours. Both had their eyes wide open.

Naruto was shivering.

So much so that the bed was actually shivering with him, slightly.

"N-naruto?" Sasuke whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Are you cold?"

"…A little."

There was a moment of silence, before Sasukes' quivering hand landed gently on the blondes' waist.

The suddenness of the unexpected touch made him flinch.

Slowly, Sasuke drew himself closer to the blonde, pressing his chest to his kitsunes' back. His porcelain fingers slid cautiously up Naruto's toned chest.

Naruto's breath hitched slightly, but the warmth radiating from Sasuke's bare body calmed him.

Now comfortable, the two breathed quietly, hearts pounding.

Gradually, Naruto stopped shivering and their bodies fell together, fitting like a statue in its mold.

Calmly, they both began to drift, the heaviness of sleep taking over, lulling them into a soft slumber.

~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~


End file.
